


If Only to Last Forever

by shewritesall



Series: If Only [2]
Category: Marvel, Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Avengers - Freeform, Captain America - Freeform, Fix-It, Iron Dad, Iron Man - Freeform, Marvel - Freeform, Marvel Universe, Parent Tony Stark, mcu - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-05-02
Updated: 2018-05-12
Packaged: 2019-05-01 05:23:09
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 12
Words: 11,266
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14513457
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/shewritesall/pseuds/shewritesall
Summary: Someone is using dark magic to summon the most ancient creatures of earth.  The Avengers reassemble after Civil War in hopes of keeping their planet by being overrun by ancient creatures.Sequel to “If Only Never Again”.  Kind of in place of Infinity War and without all the heartbreak.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I don't own any of the Avengers or anyone from the Marvel Universe. I do, however, own the other characters.

_Peter’s POV_

“I’m going to what?”  I asked. Tony had definitely failed to mention this and it seemed to me like it was very important information.  However, he must not have thought so because he just ignored me, turning to answer Steve who had nearly choked when Tony made his announcement.  

“How long were we gone?”  Steve whispered to Sam. Sam shrugged and Tony didn’t bother answering him.  

“You’re all aware of what’s been going on,”  Tony said.

“I’m not,”  I muttered. Tony didn’t even glance at me.  

“SHIELD is no longer an official government company, but Fury has requested our help on this,”  Tony explained. Everyone listened closely as Tony repeated what Fury had allegedly told him. When Fury had contacted him, I had no clue.  Tony tended to keep me in the loop about things, but apparently he had decided not to tell me about this. “Dark magic is what he thinks is going on and personally, it makes a lot of sense.”  Wanda raised her hand, turning away from Vision.

“Do you really think it’s best to go off basic information from an agency that is no longer recognized?”  she asked. Tony blinked at her blankly. “I’m asking why we’re jumping into this without more information.”  

“Oh,”  Tony replied.  She rolled her eyes and Tony flicked his phone, project a hologram for everyone to see.  “We’re not lacking information. Between my personal satellites, FRIDAY, and other connections, I was able to come up with a lot more information than even Fury knows I have.  Follow me upstairs and I’ll show you all.” They all seemed hesitant to go upstairs. It was within reason, too. General Ross tended to show up unannounced and they were technically still fugitives.  “FRIDAY blacked out the compound. We’re safe,” Tony assured them.

“Alright,”  Steve agreed.  He stood up and Tony turned to unlock the door.  He opened it up and headed up the steep, spiral steps with me following close behind.  I could hear the others following after me as we all walked up the stairs and into the main floor of the compound.  As soon as we had all gotten to the top, Tony led everyone to his lab and presented them with information to read up on and look through.  

I figured I would just do it later and headed over to where Tony was standing.  He was scrolling through something on his desktop, but stopped when he saw me standing by him.  

“What’s up, kid?”  he asked. I fidgeted with my hands and Tony turned away from his desk to face me completely.  “Are you okay?” he asked, bringing a hand up to feel my forehead. I pushed his hand away, but he just frowned and looked at me.  

“How come I didn’t know about the attacks?”  I asked. Tony sighed and leaned against his desk, shoving his hands in his pockets.  He looked at the ground, probably trying to think up a response, then glanced at the rest of the team that was still reading all about the attacks.  

“I didn’t want to worry you,”  Tony told me. I frowned, pulling the sleeves on my hoodie over my hands to play with them.  “You already had a lot on your plate and I figured I could at least give you a break on this.”  Unfortunately, I understood what he was saying. It just meant I couldn’t get upset with him for not telling me.  

“Can you just tell me what’s on those papers?”  I asked. I didn’t feel like doing a bunch of reading.  If Tony could just give me a run down on what was going on, then I could try and catch up on homework up until we needed to head out to wherever we would be going.  

Tony explained how there had been quite a few sightings of strange creatures all around the globes.  They started in Scotland but then branched out to France, Germany, Italy, Russia, Turkey, and were slowly making their way down Africa and across Asia.  He had had FRIDAY collect every bit of information possible from each sighting and had even sent some of his bots to the scene to check it out.  Apparently, it had been going on for nearly four months now, but it was getting big enough and moving fast enough Tony had decided to stop it before it became too big of an issue.  Besides, getting a hold of Steve was difficult and then my Aunt died so Tony had dropped everything until I was functioning well again.  

"So there you go, kid,"  Tony finished, clapping his hands together.  Everyone else was still reading but Wanda who looked like she was having a telepathic conversation with Vision.  "Go finish your homework.  We're headed out soon."  I nodded and hurried out of the lab, running upstairs to my bedroom so I could do my homework had been waiting for quite some time.  Even though we didn't live at the compound, I still had my own room for when we did stay.  Thankfully, I had grabbed my backpack on our way over so I had my homework.  


	2. Chapter 2

Around 7PM, I got hungry.  I knew Tony would probably still be in his lab with everyone else, so I decided to go back down and see if we could order food or something.  There was no way I was the only one hungry in this compound.  It was full of fugitives that probably didn't eat well all the time and if they weren't a fugitive, they were either me or Tony and we got hungry often.  

I packed up my homework, deciding to be done for the night.  I had been working on it for a long time and had come really close to finishing it.  I probably would have if I hadn't gotten distracted with talking to Karen for nearly an hour.  I only stopped because Tony called me and told me to stop or he'd turn Karen off.  I had quickly stopped and returned to my homework, but I hadn't finished it all.  I had a lot to catch up on from the days I had missed school and now I was going to miss even more.  I wonder if Tony could call the school and tell them to not give me any homework.  

I was running down the stairs when I saw someone pulling into the compound.  I paused on the last step before turning to go down to the lab so I could watch the car pull in.  I didn't know who would be coming to the compound at this hour let alone at all.  Happy and Pepper usually didn't come and they didn't come escorted in a huge, black SUV.  When I saw the passenger step out of the car, my breath caught in my throat.  

"FRIDAY?"  I asked.  She didn't respond, but I knew she was listening.  "Tell Tony General Ross is here and he doesn't look happy."  General Ross pounded on the door and his three escorts stood around him.  I froze, not knowing if I should answer the door.  I was fairly certain FRIDAY had every door locked and sealed tightly, but if General Ross was already angry, not answering would make him even more mad.  Besides, if we didn't answer and he thought Mr. Rogers and his team had returned, it would look suspicious to not open the door.  With that thought in mind, I stumbled to answer the door.  Just as my hand and gripped the knob and I knew General Ross had seen me coming, FRIDAY spoke up.  

"Mr. Stark wants you in the lab immediately,"  FRIDAY told me.  I rolled my eyes, punching in the code to unlock the doors slowly.  

"Tell him it's a little late for that,"  I replied.  I pulled open the door and General Ross barged inside.  He grabbed my shoulder and steered me into the living room, forcing me down on the couch.  I sat down, my eyes wide as I watched him standing in front of me.  He glared down at me then motioned for his men to search the area.  "Hey!  You can't just barge in here like that!"  I exclaimed, getting up.  Ross shoved me back down and I frowned.  Rude much?  

"Where's Captain America and his team of fugitives?"  General Ross demanded.  Thankfully, I was well versed in sarcastic remarks and lying to adults (Aunt May who hardly believed anything she thought could be a lie).  However, I didn't know what would help or hurt Tony once he got up here to explain.  "Where's Tony?"  

"Whoa, man,"  I said, raising my hands in surrender as he yelled in my face.  General Ross didn't back up, so I just awkwardly patted his shoulder.  He straightened up, getting out of my face looking a little confused.  "Tony's down in his lab working on a new prosthetic for Rhodey.  But forget that, Captain America's back?  Dude, that's so cool!  Where is he?"  I asked, pretending to get excited.  As far as I knew, General Ross didn't know I was Spider-man.  All he knew was I was some kid Tony had taken in.  "Is he in New York?  Man, that's awesome.  Hey, if you find him, you should let him know I want to meet him.  He's one of the coolest heroes around--except for Iron Man who's my personal favorite.  What do you think?  Is Iron Man or Captain America cooler?"  I didn't wait for a reply.  I was just trying to babble long enough to give Tony some time to get up here.  He was taking a long time, though, and I wasn't sure I could keep rambling without Ross getting even more mad, but this time at me.  "No, don't answer that.  It's Iron Man all the way, am I ri--"  General Ross clamped his hand over my mouth and I stopped talking immediately.  I stopped moving, too.  He was kind of a scary dude.  

"Shut up, kid,"  he growled.  "Who even are you?"  He didn't removed his hand, so my response was muffled.  He narrowed his eyes at me then slowly removed his hand.  However, before I could say anything, Tony spoke up from behind me.  

"That's Peter,"  Tony said, resting his hand on my shoulder.  It was a lot more comforting than the way General Ross had done it earlier.  "And he's my kid."  General Ross must have realized his mistake right then because he backed up, his eyes a little wider than normal and looking a little more scared.  That's was nice to know: General Ross was actually afraid of Tony.  I wonder if Tony knew that.  "What do you want, Ross?  And it better be good if you think you can just go around manhandling my kid."  

"We got word Captain America and his team flew in,"  General Ross said.  He laced his fingers together behind his back and began pacing in front of us.  I glanced up at Tony who still had his hand on my shoulder.  He was focused on Ross, though, so I turned back and looked at Ross as well.  "In fact, the exact location we received was this compound.  Not only that, but you return at the same time after not being here for weeks."  

"You do realize Justice and I had a falling out, right?"  Tony asked.  General Ross didn't reply, simply turned his head to look up at Tony as he spoke.  "If he showed up on my doorstep, you can bet everything you own I would turn him in without hesitation."  

"Interesting,"  General Ross replied, continuing his pacing.  "I seem to recall you helping a certain team member get his people off my Raft."  Tony raised his eyebrows but looked uninterested in Ross's accusation.  He was really good at pretending to not listen or care.  "Now, I know you claim to not have helped at all and all your stories and tech history seem to add up, but you can't deny you returning to the compound the same time Captain America does sounds a little suspicious. 

"What's my appearance here got anything to do with Spangles returning?"  Tony asked, removing his hand from my shoulder to fiddle with something in his other hand.  "Again, I'd kick him to you before you even knew he was en route if he did return."  General Ross took a slow, deep breath then looked at Tony with what I assumed was supposed to be suppressed anger, but he looked near furious.  

"I'm not stupid, Stark,"  General Ross said between clenched teeth.  Tony stopped fiddling with is hands and shoved both in his pockets.  "I know you know where they are."  Tony sighed and clapped his hands together, looking down at me on the couch.  

"Okay,"  Tony replied.  "We've done this whole circle of questions thing and I'm done.  Peter and I are hungry and you're interrupting our dinner.  Bye-bye!"  Tony moved forward and wrapped his arm around General Ross, guiding him back towards the door.  FRIDAY must have alerted his escorts because they came running to his side from various corners of the compound.  "Do you have a warrant to search my place?"  General Ross didn't answer as he walked out the door.  "Didn't think so.  Expect a call from my lawyers,"  Tony yelled after him.  He slammed the door shut and I heard the electronic lock activate.  We watched General Ross pull out of the driveway and relaxed once FRIDAY confirmed they had long passed the gate at the front.  

"They searched the compound," I told Tony.  He sighed, dragging his hand down his face then turned to walk into the kitchen.  I followed.  

"FRIDAY, did Ross's men take or leave anything?"  Tony asked, grabbing the paper menu I had made.  It had every fast food place close enough to deliver along with their phone number.  

"Yes, sir,"  FRIDAY replied.  "They seem to have left some sort of listening device in almost every lab excluding your's and Peter's.  Would you like to to destroy them?"  Tony nodded, passing the menu to me and asking what I wanted.  

"Not yet,"  Tony said.  "Have the bots gather them all up and put them in my room.  I want to send Ross some love poems."  I grinned and Tony smiled back.  "You decided?"  he asked.  

"Thai."  


	3. Chapter 3

_Tony's POV_

After sending Ross some lovely little poems Peter and I found online, we destroyed each bug.  We dumped the remains in the dumpster behind the compound just to be sure Ross couldn't overhear anything then went back down to the lab.  We brought the Thai take-out we had order, too.  I unlocked the door but made FRIDAY keep the black-out screens all around so no one could see in.  Steve and his team came out from the emergency room I had put in the lab in case we were ever attacked.  As soon as they saw all the bags of Thai, they swarmed the desk we had put them on.  

"What did Ross want?"  Steve asked, joining Peter and I on the lab couch.  Peter glanced up at Steve but continued eating his food happily.  

"He knows you guys are here,"  I told him quietly so the others wouldn't hear.  "He got a tip somehow.  I got him to leave, but I wouldn't put it above him to check every inch of this place as soon as we disappear."  Steve nodded, putting on his I'm-Steve-Rogers-And-I'm-Coming-Up-With-A-Plan face.  I rolled my eyes as he begin the think and turned to face Peter.  "You remember Prince T'Challa?"  I asked.  Peter furrowed his eyebrows in confusion.  I had forgotten he never officially met the others, just got thrown into the battle.  "Right, he was the giant black cat with the sharp claws."  I made a claw with my hands and Peter snorted.  

"What about him?"  Peter asked.  

"He's flying in soon,"  I answered.  Peter didn't seem surprised.  I mean, I guess I had brought the rest of the team here.  I doubted much could surprise him in terms of bringing people to the compound.  "He's bringing his sister, she's about your age.  Said she was tech savvy and could probably help us out.  Be nice to her, she's a princess and I don't need foreign ambassadors calling to say my kid offended the Wakandan princess."  Peter rolled his eyes but nodded.  

"Sure,"  he agreed.  

We had all finished our food within the hour.  We were catching up on all that had happened when FRIDAY alerted me T'Challa had arrived.  I motioned for Peter to come with me and he slumped against the couch.  

"Fine,"  I said, standing up.  "Don't come meet them.  Remember, if you offend them, I'll disown you."  It was an empty threat and Peter knew that, so I didn't worry about it as I walked out of the lab and up to the landing pad to greet T'Challa and his team.  If their jet was any indication on how tech savvy this princess was, I knew it was a smart move to bring them in.  "Your highness, welcome,"  I greeted.  T'Challa smiled and nodded, glancing around the compound grounds.  

"Thank you for inviting us to join,"  he replied.  He glanced at the two women on either said of him.  One was wearing a white dress while the other wore a more traditional African dress with bright colors and patterns.  "This is my little sister Shuri and this is Nakia,"  he introduced.  I nodded at both of them.  T'Challa never got offended when I didn't bow, so I didn't bother.  "Okoye is flying our jet back to Wakanda."  

"Great,"  I said.  "I'm Tony Stark.  Follow me and I'll introduce you to the rest of the team."  I walked back down into the compound and led them to the lab, telling FRIDAY to give them access to the lab.  The door slid open and I walked in to see everyone just how I had left them: talking among themselves and food containers littering the lab.  I'd have to remember to have Dummy clean those up.  "Attention!"  I called.  Everyone stopped their conversations and turned to look at me and the three Wakandans.  Only Wanda seemed apprehensive to see T'Challa again, but I hadn't expected anything different.  She wasn't one who was quick to trust people.  Especially those that had previously tried to hurt her no matter if it was  unintentional or not.  "This is Prince--" 

"King, now, actually,"  T'Challa corrected.  I hid my surprise and continued.  

"Fine, go ahead and introduce yourselves,"  I said, stepping back so they could have front stage.  

"Hi, my name is Shuri with a B and I've been afraid of insects my entire--" Against everything I had told him in the past two hours, Peter interrupted the princess with a grin.  

"Stop, stop, stop.  Where?"  Peter asked.  I mean, sure, Shuri probably didn't have a 'B' in it, but Peter shouldn't have interrupted!  Now I'm gonna have a grumpy princess and her equally upset brother on me for the rest of this mission.  

"Hmm?"  Shuri hummed, grinned just as big as Peter.  Something was up and apparently I wasn't in on it.  I glanced at the others, but they all seemed just as confused.  T'Challa looked more irritated than confused.  

"Where's the B?"  Peter asked.  

"There's a bee?"  Shuri replied.  Suddenly, they broke broke into laughter and pointed at each other.  "Hey!  I like you!"  Shuri exclaimed.  Peter grinned.  

"Yeah, right back at 'cha,"  he replied.  T'Challa took a deep breath then continued the introductions.  

"I'm King T'Challa and this is Nakia,"  he said, motioning towards Nakia.  Steve introduced his team and that just left Rhodey and Peter.  Rhodey introduced himself and everyone looked at Peter who had been animatedly talking to Shuri ever since their strange greeting.  

"This is Peter,"  I told T'Challa and Nakia.  Shuri obviously wasn't paying attention and I figured she already knew his name anyway.  They were probably in the same cult together.  "He's my kid and he'll probably be working with us in the lab."  Nakia nodded, but T'Challa looked quite puzzled.  

"I did not know you had a son,"  he told me.  I shrugged, stuffing my hands in my pockets and looking back over at Peter.  I smiled, seeing him talking happily with Shuri.  He had slowly become happier since May's death, but I still enjoyed seeing him happy whenever he was even if it was just for a second.  

"Adopted,"  I clarified, not taking my eyes off of Peter for a few more seconds.  When I did, I noticed T'Challa smiling at his sister as well.  "Well, we should probably talk plans,"  I said, clapping my hands together to get T'Challa's attention.  

"Yes, let's."  


	4. Chapter 4

_Peter's POV_

So, obviously I had never met a princess before, but Shuri seemed like she wasn’t your average one.  She was absolutely brilliant (probably smarter than Tony, but don’t tell him that; he might not like it) and she could respond to every vine I referenced.  Not only was she smart and well aware of the current internet fads, but she was a princess of a foreign country which made her ten times cooler than anyone else I had ever met.  

“Hey, Pete?”  Tony asked, waving his hands in front of me.  Shuri and I turned to face Tony and King T’Challa who were now standing in front of us with smirks.  How long had they been trying to get our attention? “Yeah, we’re gonna start working on preparing to leave so we need both of you to get your smart little butts up and to the desk.”  I rolled my eyes but stood up. Shuri followed me over to Tony’s design desk and sat down in his chair. As soon as it sprang up, her eyes lit up and she began bouncing in circles in it.  

“Shuri,”  King T’Challa sighed.  Tony waved him off, telling him it was fine.  “I will be over here. Try not to offend anyone,”  he said, giving Shuri a pointed look. She rolled her eyes and got off the chair, looking for how to turn on the design desk.  

“Princess, I hear you’re brilliant,”  Tony said, claiming his chair back as Shuri finally figured out how to turn on the desk.  She pulled up the hologram screen and began flipping through files, searching for something.  “I’ve had trouble trying to create a certain update for my suit and was hoping you could help,”  Tony said. Wait, he knew how smart Shuri was? He wasn’t offended? 

“Certainly,”  Shuri said. She stepped back from the screen, giving up on her search.  “If you could find it, I can look over it.” Tony nodded and stood up, searching through his files for the update then projecting it for Shuri to look through.  He briefly explained what it was supposed to do for his suit and how he had been trying to go about it. Shuri listened as she read through the coding. She stopped scrolling and brought the hologram down to the desk.  “I think I found the mistake.” She began editing the codes and I expected Tony to freak out, but he just leaned back in his chair with his hands behind his head. 

“You’re letting her mess with your programing?”  I asked, astonished. Tony just nodded. 

“Kit Kat said she was the best,”  Tony answered. “Showed me his suit update and some of the other things she’s made for Wakanda.  The kid is smarter than me and I am more than willing to step back if she can help.” I stood by the desk in surprise, turning from Tony to watch Shuri work.  She seemed very invested in her work, so I didn’t try to distract her. Maybe she could teach me a few things for my suit. 

* * *

I ended up going to bed before Shuri had finished.  She had moved from Tony’s suit upgrades to writing up her own.  Tony just told her to have FRIDAY lock down the lab when she was done then went upstairs to his room with me.  T’Challa seemed to know where his room already was and FRIDAY would tell Shuri how to get to her’s, so we just let her work in the lab until she finished.  I’m not sure how late she was up, but she didn’t come to breakfast in the morning. 

When I walked into the kitchen, I was surprised to find two people, besides Tony in there.  Then I remembered King T’Challa and Miss Nakia had come with Shuri and relaxed. They seemed to be cooking something for breakfast while Tony talked to them about Wakanda.  I slid onto a stool beside Tony and listened to the conversation. 

“Who designed the barrier?”  Tony asked. What barrier? 

“Our great ancestors,”  King T’Challa answered. When he turned around and saw me, he smiled and greeted me in what I assumed to be Wakandan.  “It had been improved over the years. Shuri is the most recent improvers and has added quite the update. I believe you would find it fascinating.”  Tony nodded and I asked him what they were talking about. He explained how the main city of Wakanda, the one that showed their true wealth and technology advancements, was hidden by a protective barrier.  He told me that it looked like a large rainforest to make outsiders believe the interior was inaccessible, but that was just a disguise projected by the barrier. 

“Awesome!”  I breathed. “How do you get in?”  

“Every one of our people has a vibranium implant on their lower lip,”  Miss Nakia explained. She pulled down her lower lip to reveal a glowing blue line.  My eyes widened in amazement and I leaned closer to get a better look. She chuckled and let go of her lip.  “In order to get through the barrier, you have to have the implant or be traveling in a vehicle or jet with it.  Otherwise you will run into the barrier and crash.” 

“That’s so cool,”  I exclaimed. Miss Nakia smiled and returned to whatever she was making.  

Tony continue to ask them questions about the technology behind it, but King T’Challa and Miss Nakia could not answer.  They said he would have to ask Shuri and all they knew were the basics of the barrier. As if they had planned it, Shuri chose that moment to walk into the kitchen yawning.  She stretched as she sat on the stool beside me, still not quite awake. 

Shuri said the same greeting King T’Challa had given me and both King T’Challa and Miss Nakia replied back in Wakandan.  I greeted her in English, however, since I didn’t know their language. I was hoping I could ask her to teach me though, since Wakandan would be so much more cooler to know than Spanish.  


	5. Chapter 5

We brought down the food to the others in the lab.  FRIDAY opened the door for us and sealed it tightly as soon as we had all walked in.  The only one up was Steve who told us all the others were still asleep.  Tony sent me down to get them, but Wanda and Vision weren't there.  I returned with Natasha, Clint, and Sam, shrugging when Tony gave me a look that asked where the other two were at.  As soon as the others saw the food, they raced over and began devouring it.  I followed them and sat down on the couch next to Shuri and King T'Challa.  

"What all did you do last night?"  I asked Shuri.  I took a bite of food and was surprised at its flavor.  I had never tasted anything like this.  It was probably a special Wakandan food.  I would definitely need to ask King T'Challa and Miss Nakia for the recipe.  

"I fixed Tony's suit upgrade and added a few more,"  she answered.  "I also created a new upgrade for what looked like a suit with a spider on it.  Don't know what that was about."  She upgraded my super suit?  

"What did you add to the spider suit?"  I asked.  I was almost finished with my first helpings of the Wakandan breakfast and had ever intention of getting more.  Apparently, though, I would have to race Steve because it looked like he was hoping to get more as well and there wasn't much left.  

"Well, I upgraded the ability to foresee disasters like falling debris or weak structures to the AI,"  Shuri said.  

"You upgraded Karen?"  I exclaimed.  Shuri looked at me strangely and my eyes widened.  I had all but admitted the spider suit was mine.  "I mean, that's what Tony calls the AI in that suit.  Created it for the Spider-man guy."  Shuri nodded slowly, giving me a hesitant look.  

"Anyway,"  she said.  She continued telling me about how she added a few more web combinations and I made a mental note to have Karen explain them to me.  By the time she finished, I had finished my seconds on the breakfast and was getting full.  

"Alright, everyone,"  Tony said, clapping his hands together and drawing everyone's attention to him.  "Let's talk attack plans then load up."  

* * *

I helped Steve and Sam load supplies onto a quinjet while everyone else reviewed and fine-tuned the plans.  Shuri was going with us, but King T'Challa had made it quite clear she was to stay in the quinjet and monitor the mission to make sure nothing went wrong.  Shuri didn't seem too thrilled about that, but she brightened up when Tony said I would be staying on the jet too.  I reacted almost the same way Shuri had when she had been told to stay on board, telling Tony I was probably very necessary for the mission to go perfectly.  Tony had none of it and told me to go load up.  Upset, I had turned to help Steve and Sam load up but not before packing my new suit up in my backpack.  

"Where are Wanda and Vision?"  Tony asked Steve, walking onto the jet.  Everyone but Wanda and Vision were loaded and ready to go.  Almost as if they had heard Tony's question, they came running onto the jet together.  Tony gave them both a stern look, but Wanda seemed unfazed by it.  

"Sorry we are late,"  Vision said.  "We lost track of time."  Tony just hummed and called for Clint to take off once we were all seated.  

"So, Peter,"  Steve said.  I looked up at him across the quinjet.  "What makes you such a valuable asset on the field?"  Steve must have overheard my argument with Tony.  Unfortunately, I was still trying to keep my super identity of Spider-man as a secret.  Fortunately, I had gotten much better at coming up with excuses.  

"I'm really good at martial arts and mythology,"  I said, which wasn't exactly a lie, but also wasn't entirely true.  

"Fights like these are about more than just martial arts, kid,"  Steve told me.  I nodded, knowing full well what he meant.  "They're dangerous if you aren't prepared and trained."  I just nodded again and let Steve tell how he still had doubts himself even though he had super soldier serum.  He ended by telling me maybe one day I would be able to go out with them and fight.  

"Okay,"  I replied.  Tony just smirked at me and I rolled my eyes, pulling out the phone he had given me and opening up the Crossy Road app.  


	6. Chapter 6

The flight to where Tony had figured out the sorcerer was located was long and boring.  We played multiple card games and I had even asked Shuri to teach me Wakandan.  I couldn't say much, but I could confidently greet people and carry on a basic conversation in the language.  Writing was a whole different story.  Shuri laughed when I accidentally wrote 'I am doing seed' instead of 'I am doing good'.  Needless to say, we had given up on writing.  She promised to teach me more later, during the time we were left on the quinjet and the others went out to fight.  

"Alright,"  Tony said as we landed.  Everyone was grabbing and stocking up weapons, only giving Tony half their attention.  Shuri and I were playing Uno in the corner.  

"Uno!"  Shuri screamed.  King T'Challa gave her and stern look but she rolled her eyes.  I drew more cards, annoyed she had called it before I could and our game continued.  

"You all know the plan,"  Tony said.  Shuri and I paused our game to listen to the parting speech Tony was about to give.  "Shuri and Peter will alert us if anything goes wrong.  No one gets left behind and no one deviates from the plan.  Got it?"  Everyone muttered something like 'sure' and 'whatever' as they finished getting ready.  

Once everyone was dressed and stocked with weapons, they headed out of the quinjet.  Tony gave me one last speech about how I needed to stay in the jet and if he saw me outside, I was grounded for life, then left with the rest of the team.  As soon as they were gone, Shuri and I dropped our Uno cards and headed over to monitor the comms and various readings on the area.  I plopped down in the chair beside the computer and handed Shuri an in-ear comm.  I put one in as well and was immediately greeted with the sound of Steve instructing the group on where to go.  I muted my comm so I could hear but not be heard then turned to look at the computer.  It was monitoring the area for threats of any kind: natural or human-caused.  

"Want to continue our game?"  Shuri asked, holding up the pack of Uno cards.  I shrugged and she took it as a yes.  She passed out the cards then sat on the table by the computer.  

We were on our second round of Uno when I heard a high pitched squeal come from the comm.  I flinched and yanked it out of my ear.  Shuri did the same, glaring at the small device.  Our game forgotten, we both turned to look at the computer.  Nothing seemed out of place, but every comm had gone offline.  I carefully checked the computer readings again, looking for anything out of place.  Just as I glanced at the one that showed levels of magic, the bar shot from normal to red zone.  

"What's that mean?"  Shuri asked, pointing to a different screen.  I glanced at it as I got up from my seat.  

"It's the Iron Man armor,"  I answered.  I looked closer at the small window then raced for my backpack.  "It's offline.  FRIDAY is never offline."  I pulled my suit out of my backpack and tugged off my shirt.  Shuri yelled in surprise and turned her back as I pulled off my pants and slipped into my suit.  "Stay here,"  I told her, pulling my mask over my face and hitting the spider.  The suit powered on and tightened.  

"What the..."  Shuri trailed off, looking at me in shock.  "You're the spider kid!"  

"Yeah,"  I said.  "Thanks for updating Karen, by the way.  However, you need to stay here to get ready to fly as soon as I return."  

"Fine, give me the boring job,"  Shuri muttered.  I rolled my eyes and turned to run out of the jet.  "Just so you know, when you get in trouble, I'll make sure they know it was all your idea."  

"Yeah, yeah, just stay here,"  I told her.  I ran out of the quinjet and into the forest where the others had disappeared.  

I had never been a big fan of the forest.  Growing up in the city, I knew what to expect in big urban areas.  I always got nervous in the forest.  I couldn't see as far and there are different obstacles to avoid.  I understood why a person summoning dark magic would want to be in the forest.  A creepy place for a creepy person with creepy intentions.  

I came across a small building a few minutes later.  There were no signs it was inhabited, but Karen informed me there was definitely people inside.  I could see broken twigs all over the ground and Karen confirmed they were from Steve.  I frowned and looked back up at the small building.  I got the strange feeling someone was watching me, but when I looked around, no one was nearby.  I told Karen to scan the area and identify all heat signatures and any danger nearby.  

"Mr. Stark, Mr. Rogers, King T'Challa, Miss Maximoff, and Mr. Barton are inside the building with three unidentifiable bodies,"  Karen reported.  

"Wait, where are Widow and Vis--"  I was cut off by someone wrapping their arm around me from behind.  I squirmed, trying to hit them with my elbow or something so they would let me go.  They didn't released me, though, seeming to be immune to all my hits as I continued to squirm.  They pulled me back, away from the building, and Karen said nothing.  


	7. Chapter 7

I continued to fight my attackers until they finally let me go.  I spun quickly to face them and ended up tripping over a branch.  When I looked back up, I saw Black Widow standing over me, hands on her hips with a frown, and Vision standing behind her, staring back at where the building was.  I glanced over my shoulder, but couldn't see the building or anyone behind me.  I slowly turned back to face Natasha, but looked at the ground instead of at her.  She cleared her throat and shifted on her feet, the only thing I could bring myself to look at.  

"What are you doing here?"  she demanded.  She tugged off my mask so she could see my face and I breathed a sigh of defeat.  I knew she already knew who I was.  She had found out before going into hiding, but I didn't really mind her knowing.  She was well known for keeping secrets.  "I thought Stark told you to stay back,"  she reminded me.  

"Everyone's comms went offline and we got reports of magic being used in the area!"  I defended, making myself look up at her.  She was still frowning.  

"I believe Peter was right in coming,"  Vision told her.  I gave her a look that said 'see, Vision thinks it was a good idea' but she ignored it.  "We could use his help."  

"He's a kid,"  Natasha said, glancing at Vision.  "A kid that belongs to Stark and if he gets hurt on our watch, whether or not he was allowed to come, it's our heads he'll have."  Whoa, Natasha was worried Tony would kill her?  I doubted Tony knew she was a little wary of him.  I wasn't gonna tell him either way.  He didn't need the ego boost and I'm fairly certain Natasha wouldn't want him to know. 

"I'm not going to get hurt!  I just want to help!"  I told her.  My voice must have been a little too loud because Natasha clasped her hand over it, giving me a stern look before slowly removing her hand.  

"Fine, you can stay,"  she said.  I grinned.  "But if anyone tells you to get out or do something, you do it."  I nodded hastily, eager to stay and help.  

"What's the plan?"  I asked.  Natasha and Vision shared a grim look.  "You don't have one."  

"Look, the person in there is strong,"  Natasha told me.  "He took out everyone at once and floated them into that little hideout of his.  Vision and I only escaped it because we were on the other side of the house."  

"Then how do you know what happened?"  

"Vision does this telepathic thing with Wanda,"  Natasha said, waving her hand nonchalantly.  "Thing is, she was the first one out.  Screamed and collapsed.  We couldn't get to them in time."   

I frowned.  Wanda was the only person we had that could deal with magic similar to what this guy could do.  If she was the first out, we had a pretty slim chance.  Maybe she was faking it?  That seemed unlikely.  Wanda did not willingly fall into the hands of the enemy.  Something about Hydra and never wanting to do that again.  I didn't really know.  Tony wouldn't tell me and Wanda didn't like talking about it.  

"So we need a plan,"  I said.  Natasha nodded and Vision continued to stare through the woods at the small building.  Suddenly, he tore his focus from the forest and focused back on us.  

"Wanda has one."  

* * *

Apparently, Wanda had only been the first to drop because she had been attacked by both at once.  However, the man's helper, apparently his daughter, had been knocked out by Steve and remained so.  Wanda could overpower him with Vision's help, but in order to kill him and get everyone out safely, we needed to move fast.  I wasn't excited about killing someone, but Vision said it was the only way to stop him according to Wanda.  She wasn't strong enough to keep him down the entire ride back and the chances of us finding a place strong enough to keep his power in check were very slim.  

"We will wait for her signal,"  Vision told Natasha and me.  "Natasha, you will help Peter get everyone out of their bonds and then come back to help us kill him."  Natasha frowned slightly.  I knew she didn't like killing people, it reminded her too much of what she did when she was younger.  Tony had told me that once then warned me not to tell her I knew.  

"What's the signal?"  I asked.  Before Vision could answer, a bright flash of light came from the house and Vision grabbed our arms, flying us quickly towards the building.  He dropped Natasha and I outside then flew inside through a window and the red light became more of an orange.  Natasha burst through the door and I shrugged before running inside.  I guess that was the signal.  


	8. Chapter 8

Unfortunately, Tony was the first one to see me.  As soon as I ran into the building behind Natasha, Tony spotted me.  He was still in his Iron Man armor, but I knew he was rolling his eyes.  Whether or not he was grinning, I didn't know.  However, now was not the time to think about what Tony would think about me disobeying him.  It was time to help Natasha take down some super evil, super powerful magician dude and I was not about to pass up that opportunity.  

"Hey, Mr. Stark!"  I said, waving as I hurried over to him.  I didn't want to call him Tony since Steve had only ever heard Spider-man refer to Tony as Mr. Stark. I didn't want to make him think Spider-man and Iron Man were close friends.  "Did Wanda fill you in on the plan?  We're killing the magician dude."  I yanked at what was holding down Tony, only for it to send a powerful volt of electricity surging through me.  It threw me across the room and I slammed against the wall, groaning as I slid to the ground.  "Dang, that hurt."  

"You good, kid?"  Tony asked.  I nodded and stood up, going back over to Tony.  Everyone else was in the same type of bonds and I was not about to get thrown across the room by another one.  "This is some sort of magic.  He used some special enchantment.  You won't be able to break it."  I guess only Wanda could break them since she was obviously out.  Wow, Wanda was really playing a key part in this mission.  

"Don't worry, Mr. Stark,"  I said, stepping back and giving Steve a salute.  "I've got a plan."  Before Tony could object, I shot a web across the room to where Wanda and Vision were busy holding off the magician guy.  Natasha was slowly sneaking up behind him, but she had to keep retreating when he turned to look for her.  "Hey, cool Witch lady, could you possibly go get them out of the magic bonds?  I tried, but I got thrown across the room and I'm not about to do that again."  Wanda gave me a strange look. 

"What are you?"  she asked.  Oh right, she hadn't really met me--well, Spider-man, that is.  

"I'm Spider-man,"  I said, holding out my hand for her to shake.  She didn't move to shake it and I remember she was currently trying to fight a magician.  "Right, um, could you go help them?  I can distract this guy if you want."  Wanda seemed hesitant but when she looked back at the team, she nodded.  Instead of turning completely to help them, she took one hand off the magician and used it to undo the bonds on Clint, King T'Challa and Nakia, and then Sam.  She was working on getting Steve out when the magician dude must have overpowered her.  

A strong force pushed Wanda and Vision back as the magician straightened and began what looked like a pretty scary attack.  Vision increased the power coming from the mind stone, but Wanda stumbled backwards before turning to use both hands to release Steve and Tony.  She was about to turn back to help Vision again, but the magician hit her with some sort of energy ball and she collapsed.  There was no way Vision would be able to hold the guy off much longer, especially now that Wanda was on the ground, breathing heavily and obviously in pain.  I turned quickly and jumped at the magician guy.  

"Hey, buddy!"  I exclaimed, shooting a web at his face.  He yelled and pulled the web off his face.  It wasn't supposed to be that easy to get off.  "Whoa, that's not cool buddy,"  I said, shooting more webs to tie him up.  He broke through each of them easily, slowly turning his attention from Vision and towards me.  I could see Natasha sneaking up behind him now that he was so focused on me and Vision.  

"What are you?"  the magician roared.  Vision stopped his attack entirely as Tony began shooting at the magician.  He seemed equally mad at me and Tony for attacking him, but when Steve threw his shield at the magician's face, the anger went from just me and Tony to me, Tony, and Steve.  

"Get out of here, kid,"  Tony demanded.  I kept shooting webs at the magician, ignoring Tony's demand.  He yelled at me again and I rolled me eyes.  

"I came to help you,"  I said.  "I'm not leaving until we kill this guy."  I guess magician dude must have eyes in the back of his head, because he figured out pretty quickly that Natasha was behind him with a gun and turned to attack her.  Natasha's eyes widened as he spun around to face her and I knew she was screwed.  Without much thought, I threw myself on the guy's back and yelled in his ear.  "Rodeo!"  

Needless to say, magician guy did not appreciate this.  He tried to shake me off, but I was able to stay on thanks to my spidey sticking abilities.  He tried to shoot me with his magic, but I dodged easily.  It was hard to aim over your shoulder at such as awkward angle.  Eventually, though, he did get a hit and my entire shoulder felt like it was on fire.  My left arm dropped from his neck and I swallowed back a cry of pain.  I was now only holding on with one arm and he was able to throw me off.  

"Peter!"  Tony yelled as I flew through the air towards the ground.  

I landed on the ground with a hard  _bang_.  If I thought the pain in my shoulder was bad before, it was so much worse when I landed on it falling from the magician's back.  Against my will, I cried out in pain and brought my right hand up to my shoulder.  I pulled back when I felt the wound and turned to look at it.  My shoulder was pretty messed up to say the least.  My suit was charred around it and the wound was black and bloody.  I suddenly wished I hadn't looked at it.  

"Stupid, kid,"  the magician growled.  He seemed unfazed by Tony and Steve's continuous attacks.  He simply held them back with one hand and turned to look at me from where I was lying on the ground in pain.  He leaned down to look at me closer, but I refused to turn away.  "Maybe I should make your death painful,"  he said, raising his other hand at me.  I squeezed my eyes closed, waiting for him to hit my other shoulder with his painful spell, but instead of feeling pain, I saw a bright light flash even with my eyes closed.  When I slowly opened my eyes, I saw Tony lying on top of me motionless.  


	9. Chapter 9

_Tony's POV_

Peter was one stupid kid if he thought he could take on a super human/magician by himself.  We had Wanda and Vision for a reason and that was so that when we came across people like Cross, they could take them out.  Instead, Cross ended up hurting Wanda which distracted Vision and left Peter feeling like he had to take on the man by himself.  Now, the kid was suffering from a pretty intense burn on his left shoulder and about to be killed by Cross.  Of course, I wasn't going to let that happen.  That was my kid and no one kills my kid while I just stand by and watch.  That's how I found myself between Peter and Cross seconds before Cross made his next strike.  

I don't know what I was expected, but a bright flash and no pain was not it.  I had obviously never died, but I figured I would have at least felt the pain before disappearing into the abyss known as death.  However, no pain came and I slowly became aware I was still breathing.  For a horrible, painful second I wondered if I had been to late to get to Peter.  When I forced my eyes open, though, I discovered he was still underneath me, panting in pain from his shoulder.  I had never been so happy to see the kid in pain; it meant he was still alive.  

"Tony?"   he whimpered.  He still had his mask on, but unfortunately, I had become accustomed to what he sounded like when he was crying.  He didn't need to take off his mask for me to know he was about to cry.  "Tony?  Please don't be dead, please don't be."  I popped the face off my Iron Man suit and looked down at him.  Peter let out a sob, but I knew it was in relief.  

"I'm okay, kid,"  I promised.  "We're both okay..."  I trailed off, realizing it should not be that way.  I moved so I was no longer crouched over Peter, but instead kneeling beside him.  When I turned to look around the room, I noticed Cross was gone.  Everyone seemed shocked, staring at where Cross had been seconds before but was now just an empty space.  I glanced around at everyone before my eyes landed on Wanda.  She was breathing heavily, arm outstretched towards Peter and me and looking very shaken up.  Vision was kneeling beside her, one hand on her back, looking down at her.  

"I killed him,"  she muttered.  She pulled her arm back, tucking it close to her and looking around in fear.  Vision pulled her close to him, trying to calm her down.  He carefully picked her up and stood, looking at all of us.  

"I will take her back,"  he said.  He floated out of the house and back to the quinjet.  I looked back down at Peter who was now groaning and rolling his head to the side.  

"Pete?  You good?"  I asked, stabilizing his head and making him look up at me.  I tore off his mask and saw a bruise forming on his cheek and forehead.  

"It hurts,"  he mumbled, eyes closed tightly.  I nodded, moving to carefully pick him up.  Hopefully Shuri was as good with medicine as she was with technology.  

"It's gonna be okay,"  I told him quietly.  I glanced at Steve who knew immediately what I meant.  He turned and took Natasha with him to search the rest of the building for anyone that could have worked with or been kidnapped by Cross.  

I flew to the quinjet, knowing it would be quicker than if I walked.  I arrived in less than a minute and stumbled onto the the quinjet.  Peter groaned at the rough landing, but I didn't care.  So long as he was conscious, I knew he was alright.  Shuri came running over when she saw us and told me to lay him down on the gurney.  I did, stepping back only so she would have enough room.  I disassembled the Iron Man suit, letting it disappear back into its nano tech case on my chest.  As soon as my hands were free, I reached out to grab Peter's hand.  

"How do you get this off?"  Shuri asked, pointing to the suit.  Peter raised a shaky hand and pressed the spider on his chest.  The suit relaxed and almost immediately his wound began to bleed more.  "Oh, okay."  She turned quickly to reached for gauze then looked back down at Peter.  "This is gonna hurt.  A lot,"  she warned.  I could see Peter was about to ask what she was doing, but she suddenly pressed down on his wound with the gauze and he cried out in pain.  I held him down so Shuri could keep working, but Peter continued to yell in pain and squirm around.  

"Peter, you gotta let her work, bud,"  I said.  Tears were running down his face and I felt my own tears trying to escape.  "Hey, you saved us.  You're grounded for that, but you still saved us."  I was trying to distract him, but it didn't seem to be working.  When I thought I had finally distracted him, Shuri did something and he suddenly yelled out again.  Desperately, I turned to Shuri and practically begged her to put him under.  

"I don't have anything for that, but he'll probably pass out soon from blood loss,"  she snapped.  I took a deep breath and turned back to Peter.  He was still panting and groaning in pain, but I could tell he was running out of energy.  "Go to sleep, Peter.  I can work faster if you go to sleep,"  Shuri told him.  Peter nodded slowly and closed his eyes, gritting his teeth in pain.  It didn't take much longer before he stilled.  As soon as Shuri was positive he was unconscious, she reached for an alcohol swab and began cleaning the wound, having been able to stop the bleeding seconds before he passed out.  


	10. Chapter 10

Peter didn't wake up for quite a while.  Shuri said the pain was enough to keep him unconscious while she worked which wasn't exactly reassuring, but at least he wouldn't feel it if he was out.  However, he remained out the entire ride back to the compound and I moved him into the med bay to be put on pain killers for when he did wake up.  Of course, the rest of the team had to disappear almost as soon as we got back because we never knew when Ross would return, but T'Challa had offered them all a safe place in Wakanda and they had accepted.  He gave me a key to the dome so that I could get through to visit whenever I wanted.  Steve had made clear if he had known Peter was Spider-man when we were in Berlin, he never would have fought him.  I knew that already, but accepted it anyway because I knew he would forever feel bad about beating up my kid, especially after taking a liking to him.  

"Don't worry about it,"  I said, waving him off.  "We'll come visit as soon as the kid's healed.  Probably won't let you live in peace ever again."  Steve chuckled and nodded.  He called for Wanda to load up as Nakia and T'Challa pulled Shuri towards the Wakandan jet.  

"Maybe we should take him back with us,"  Shuri told T'Challa.  He gave her a look and she rolled her eyes.  "Just to make sure everything is alright."  Nakia just tugged on her arm and Shuri sighed.  

"Your boyfriend will come to visit once he is better," T'Challa teased.  Shuri glared at him but he just smiled.  "You can even make sure his shoulder isn't too scarred, but make sure I'm not around."  

"Stop it,"  Shuri told him, following Nakia onto the jet.   

Wanda and Vision were nowhere to be seen, but I was kind of used to that at this point.  It was almost more surprising to see Vision around than it was for him to disappear.  However, now that Wanda would be staying in Wakanda with the team, I figured I would only see Vision when Peter and I went to visit.  He would want to be with Wanda to make sure she was safe whether or not she was in a secure foreign country protected by some super dome.  

"Where's Wanda?"  Clint asked, peering out of the jet.  Steve glanced around then shrugged.  

"Vision will bring her later,"  T'Challa answered.  Clint frowned, obviously not liking the idea of Vision and Wanda alone.  "He knows how to get in and out."  Clint mumbled to himself as he walked back onto the jet.  Now it was only T'Challa, Steve, and me standing on the launch pad, delaying the moment when we would all part.  

"I'll see if I can convince ol' Teddy to reinstate you,"  I told Steve.  He just smiled and shook his head.  

"Maybe it's time we retired,"  Steve replied, looking over the compound again.  He did that a lot.  "I think I might just stay in Wakanda; settle down and live a peaceful life."  I nodded, understanding where he was coming from.  "You should too, Tony.  It would be good for you.  You have Peter now, maybe it's time you turned to caring for him instead of saving the world."  

"We'll see,"  I said, tucking the idea away in my head.  It definitely sounded nice, but I doubted I could ever retire.  Whether or not I was Iron Man, I still had a company that needed me to sign papers and what not.  

I sighed, knowing it was time for them to leave and shook his hand saying,  "Stay safe, Cap."  

"You too, Tony,"  he replied.  He turned with T'Challa and they walked onto the jet.  I waited on the launch pad until well after they were gone, looking up after them.  FRIDAY alerted me that Peter was waking up, though, so I quickly turned and headed to the med bay.  

Sure enough, Peter was groaning and his eyes fluttered open as I walked into his medical room.  His shoulder was wrapped tightly in gauze and bandage, leaving no part of his charred shoulder exposed.  When he saw me, he smiled weakly.  I smiled back and took a seat in the chair beside his bed.  

"Did they leave already?"  he asked.  I nodded grimly, knowing he probably wanted to say goodbye.  "Oh,"  he said, looking up at the ceiling.  "That's okay.  We'll see them again, right?"  He turned back to look at me when he asked and I nodded.  

"Of course,"  I promised.  "Wouldn't want them to have a peaceful retirement, would we?"  Peter grinned and shook his head, then stopped.  

"They're retiring?"  He was obviously surprised.  I nodded, confirming it and he laid on his bed in shock.  "Are you retiring?  From being Iron Man, I mean."  I chuckled and took his hand in mine.  Peter didn't even glance down when I did.  

"Maybe,"  I told him.  "Stark Industries still needs me, but I think right now you need me more."  

"Really?  You're not gonna be an Avenger anymore?"  Peter exclaimed, trying to sit up.  He grimaced in pain and laid back down.  

"I'm thinking it's time we start training the new crew instead,"  I told him.  "That includes you, kid."  Peter's grin didn't leave his face for a long time.  He just laid on his bed with a happy grin on his face as we sat in silence.  


	11. Chapter 11

_Peter's POV_

Dr. Cho let me leave the med bay two days later.  Tony still didn't let me leave the compound or tower for another two days before allowing me back to school.  I tried to act like I didn't have a gaping hole in my shoulder, but it was kind of hard.  Especially when Flash slammed me against the lockers.  I had told Ned, but no one else knew.  I didn't want false pity or attention just because I had been in some freak accident and gotten my shoulder burned.  That's why when I cried out in pain as my shoulder hit the lockers, Flash seemed surprised.  

"What's wrong, Penis?  Too weak to take a hit?"  he taunted.  I pulled away from the lockers so my shoulder wasn't jammed against it then pushed Flash's arms off me.  

"Leave me alone, Flash,"  I replied.  He didn't.  

"No, tell me,"  he said.  "Why are you such a cry baby all of a sudden?"  I tried to just walk around him and leave, but Flash gripped my wrist and my shoulder throbbed at the sudden jerk.  I grit my teeth, forcing myself not to yell again.  "You're such a wimp, Parker."  He let me go and walked off.  I sighed then turned to face Ned again.  

"He's a jerk,"  Ned told me.  I chuckled and agreed with him as we walked to the cafeteria.  The day was half way over and soon I would be able to go back to the tower and just sleep.  I was still recovering from a pretty intense injury and even if I had faster healing than most people, I still wanted to just sleep it off.  That wouldn't be the case, though, so I just followed Ned into the cafeteria to get my food then join Michelle at her lone table. 

* * *

When I returned to the tower, it was strangely silent.  I dropped my backpack off in my room then wandered into the living room, looking for Tony.  He had told me to just take the subway since he was a little busy when I finished school, but I didn't mind.  Now, though, I was curious as to where he was.  He rarely ever went to the actually Stark Industries warehouse, but it didn't sound like he was in the penthouse.  Maybe he was downstairs in the offices?  

"FRIDAY, where's Tony?"  I asked, walking into the kitchen to grab a snack.  I jumped up on the counter, something Tony didn't like me doing when he was around.  

"He is currently on the 14th floor talking to General Ross,"  FRIDAY replied.  "He would also like me to tell you to stay off the counters."  I frowned and slid off the counter onto a stool.  

"What's he talking to Ross about?"  I questioned, taking a bite of my apple.  FRIDAY didn't answer.  Instead, she started playing the audio of Tony and General Ross's conversation.  They were talking about something that sounded important, but I wasn't sure what.  Tony seemed pretty adamant about it, though.  

"It's all or nothing, Ross,"  Tony said.  "You either agree to adjust the Accords exactly how they requested, word for word, or we're all quitting."  Whoa, they were talking about the Accords.  I'd only heard a little bit about them, but I knew they were a big enough deal for the Avengers to split up.  Apparently, that's what caused the others to go into hiding, too.  

Ross didn't answer right away.  I could imagine him sitting (or standing; I liked to think of him as sitting though with Tony standing.  It made him look less intimidating), thinking about whether or not to agree to the terms.  I guess he really didn't want to lose Tony's help, because he agreed.  

"Alright,"  Ross said.  "But they can't pull anything and slip in new terms that weren't already written down."  

"Don't worry,"  Tony told him.  "That's the last copy they edited.  Fix it, publish it, and we'll all sign."  

FRIDAY turned off the audio when they stopped talking about the Accords and instead began saying goodbye.  I hadn't really eaten my apple, to focused on listening to the conversation, but as soon as I was no longer listening to them, I began eating my apple again.  It was a really good apple.  

About ten minutes later, Tony arrived upstairs and joined me in the living room.  

"Hey, how was school?"  Tony asked.  I shrugged with one shoulder.  My other one was still pretty sore from Flash shoving me against the lockers.  

"Are the others gonna come live in the tower with us?"  I asked before I could stop myself.  Tony raised an eyebrow at me, but he didn't seem upset that I had obviously listened to him and Ross.  

"How much did you hear?"  Tony questioned.  I shifted on the couch as he looked down at me.  

"Just the 'all or nothing' to when he agreed,"  I told him.  Tony just chuckled.  

"No, they'll probably stay at the compound,"  Tony said.  "They'll come visit often and we'll be out there a lot more, but they'll stay at the compound for the most part."  

"Does this mean everyone can come back?"  I asked.  Tony sat on the couch across from me and nodded.  "And they won't be in trouble for hiding from the government?  Not even Wanda?"  I knew General Ross had an issue with enhanced persons like Wanda.  He had been trying to hunt down Spider-man, but I had so far been able to avoid him.  I didn't understand why he hated enhanced people like me and Wanda, but he was pretty passionate about locking them up.  

"Yeah,"  Tony said.  "Part of the agreement is that enhanced persons are treated the exact same as regular and are not to be locked up any differently than regular persons."  I nodded, glad to hear I wouldn't have to face a shock collar and straight jacket if I ever was locked up by Ross.  "It also said underage people don't have to sign unless a parent or guardian signs for them."  That meant I wouldn't have to sign unless Tony wanted me to.  

"Do I have to sign?"  I asked.  Tony furiously shook his head.  

"No,"  he answered.  "While the Accords are better than before for people like you and Wanda, I still don't trust Ross to not pull something.  You won't sign until you're 53, understand?"  I laughed and Tony smiled.  "Do you want to go patrol New York?"  I nodded.  I was planning on going out as Spider-man tonight, but it was always more fun when Tony came with me.  "Alright.  Go suit up then and I'll race you to Queens."  


	12. The End

Hey guys!  Thank you all so much for reading my book.  I think I'm going to end it there because it's a happy ending!  Everyone's coming back, they'll all be safe and happy again, and Peter is back to being happy with Tony and being Spider-man. If you liked this book, please check out my other works.  Thanks for reading!


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